GMU 660 Minot Peak
Weyerhaeuser-locked Willapa Hills timber: a top-tier blacktail and bear unit that also carries the Willapa North elk sub-herd — if you can get in.
WDFW Region 6 — Coastal (District 17, Willapa Hills) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
302
sq mi
Public land
5%
approx.
Elevation
100–2,900
feet
Motorized
limited
access
Overview
GMU 660 "Minot Peak" is a ~302-square-mile coast-range unit in WDFW District 17, straddling the Grays Harbor/Pacific county line in the heart of the Willapa Hills southwest of the Chehalis Valley. It is overwhelmingly private industrial timberland — Weyerhaeuser is the primary owner, with Green Diamond ground in the mix — leaving only a small DNR footprint as public land. Despite a WDFW "Poor" access rating, 660 punches well above its weight: WDFW ranks it among the district's very best black-tailed deer units, one of its top black bear producers, and the district's #3 elk-harvest GMU. It sits in the Willapa Hills elk herd's north sub-herd, so unlike the Wynoochee/Olympic units to the north there is a real resident elk population to hunt.
Terrain
Classic low-to-mid Willapa Hills coast-range terrain: steep, folded ridges and stream-cut drainages rising from the Chehalis Valley floor south and west toward Minot Peak and the Willapa divide. Most of the unit is a working-forest patchwork of clearcuts, replants, and older stands under roughly 2,000 ft, with the highest ground on the interior ridges.
Cover: Douglas-fir and western hemlock industrial forest broken by red alder bottoms; recent clearcuts and 3- to 10-year regeneration stands choke with salmonberry, salal, huckleberry, elderberry, blackberry, and fireweed — prime blacktail browse and bear feed. Dense low-visibility cover fills the ground between the harvest openings.
Landmarks: Minot Peak · Willapa Hills divide · Chehalis River valley (north boundary) · Wynoochee/Satsop country (GMU 648, north) · Fall River GMU (672, west) · North River GMU (658, southwest) · US 12 corridor (north edge, Oakville–Montesano)
Access
WDFW rates GMU 660 access as 'Poor.' The primary landowner is Weyerhaeuser, and all their ground in this unit is managed under their general access permit program — you must buy a Weyerhaeuser recreational access permit (motorized or non-motorized) to be on it. Green Diamond also owns land here and manages access with the colored 'dot' system posted at gates; Green Diamond ground in District 17 is currently non-motorized walk-in, with additional roads opened as industrial fire danger drops. DNR owns only a small portion of the unit, and to keep elk from being pushed onto farms in the Chehalis Valley, WDFW/DNR limit motorized access on those DNR-managed lands. Archery and muzzleloader hunters commonly get less access — especially vehicle access — than modern-firearm hunters on timber ground, and access tightens under high industrial fire classification.
Managers: Weyerhaeuser, Green Diamond Resource, WDNR
Access points: US 12 corridor at Oakville/Porter (north approach off the Chehalis Valley) · Weyerhaeuser permit-gated mainlines into the interior ridges · Green Diamond dot-system gates (non-motorized walk-in) · County roads climbing south out of the Chehalis Valley toward Minot Peak
Species notes
Blacktail Deer
abundant qualityOne of District 17's standout blacktail units — WDFW lists the best opportunities to harvest a black-tailed deer in the district as GMUs 663, 648, 672, and 660, and names 660 among the GMUs with the highest deer harvest. Numbers are strong across the working-forest mosaic; expect mostly younger bucks with the occasional heavy 4-point earned out of the brush.
- →Hunt the edges and interiors of 3- to 10-year-old clearcuts and replants — these regen stands hold the highest deer densities for both food and cover.
- →Glass cut units and landings at first and last light from across-canyon vantage, then still-hunt the timber/clearcut edge as deer move to bed.
- →Concentrate effort on the rut, late October into early November, when bucks move most and drop their guard.
- →Rattling and grunting can pull a rutting blacktail buck — an underused tactic on pressured coast-range deer.
- →Scout away from the obvious road-hunted cuts; high deer numbers here also pull high hunter numbers.
Black Bear
abundant qualityWDFW names 660 among the best places to harvest a black bear in District 17 (grouped with the district's top producers 648 and 663) and a regular general-season producer. Bears are common in the berry-rich cuts but rarely seen in the thick coastal cover, so scouting and patience carry the hunt.
- →Glass open clearcuts and regen units full of berry shrubs — salmonberry, huckleberry, elderberry, blackberry, salal — at dawn and dusk.
- →Hunt the open ground so you can spot a bear at distance before it winds you; in dense cover a bear smells you first and slips off.
- →Find fresh sign on a berry-loaded cut, then sit it for long watches rather than covering ground.
- →Key on ripe berry feed in early fall, before deer and elk pressure scatters the bears.
Roosevelt Elk
common opportunityGMU 660 sits in the north sub-herd of the Willapa Hills elk herd and is the district's #3 GMU for elk harvest (behind 673 and 658). WDFW's 2023 survey put the Minot Peak north sub-herd at healthy 31:100 calf/cow and 15:100 bull/cow ratios — a productive, stable herd. This is a genuine elk unit, not just an incidental one, but access is the constant limiter and most bulls are younger animals.
- →Locate elk in and around fresh timber harvests near heavy cover, swamps, and creek/river bottoms; bulls hold in closed-canopy timber by day.
- →Glass big cut units at first and last light, then move to intercept between feed and bedding cover.
- →Secure your Weyerhaeuser permit and scout the specific drainages holding cows well before the opener — herds shift with harvest activity and pressure.
- →For a mature bull, temper expectations here; the district's best big-bull odds are the Olympic-adjacent units to the north, not the Willapa.
Cougar
common opportunityCougars occur throughout the unit and are taken mostly opportunistically by deer and elk hunters. The season is harvest-guideline managed and hunt areas can close mid-season once removal thresholds are met, so confirm status before and during your hunt.
- →Carry the tag and treat cougar as an opportunistic add-on while glassing cuts for deer, bear, and elk.
- →Hunt where prey concentrates — regen stands and river bottoms; cats follow the deer and elk.
- →Check the hunt-area status regularly since cap-managed areas can close on short notice.
- →After a rare low-elevation snow, cut roads and landings for tracks to follow up.
Pro tips
- →Buy your Weyerhaeuser recreational access permit early — all Weyerhaeuser ground here is permit-only and it is the primary owner of the unit.
- →Learn the Green Diamond dot system and gate rules; their District 17 ground is non-motorized walk-in but opens roads as fire danger drops.
- →Hunt 660 for what it's best at — top-tier blacktail and bear — and treat the Willapa North elk as a real but access-limited bonus.
- →Focus on 3- to 10-year-old clearcuts for the highest concentrations of deer, bear feed, and elk sign.
- →Get off the obvious road-hunted cuts; strong deer numbers draw crowds to the easy access.
- →Respect the DNR motorized-access limits meant to keep elk off Chehalis Valley farms — don't be the reason those close further.
Watch out for
- !Access is rated 'Poor' — the unit is almost entirely private industrial timber requiring Weyerhaeuser permits and Green Diamond dot-system compliance; verify current policy before you go.
- !Public land is only about 5% (a small DNR footprint); don't assume open ground without checking ownership.
- !Archery and muzzleloader hunters frequently get less access, especially vehicle access, than modern-firearm hunters on timber lands.
- !Trespass on permit/lease timber ground can bring prosecution and a permanent ban from the landowner — obey posted signs and dot colors.
- !Industrial fire-danger closures can lock gates during warm early seasons — have a backup plan.
- !Elk can be pushed onto Chehalis Valley farms; motorized access on DNR ground is deliberately limited to prevent that — plan to walk.
Logistics
Base out of Montesano, Elma, or Oakville along the US 12 corridor on the north edge for motels, fuel, and groceries, with Aberdeen and Raymond as larger fallbacks. There is very little public camping inside the unit — it is almost entirely gated private timberland — so plan to day-hunt off the valley or use developed sites outside the GMU. Buy your Weyerhaeuser access permit and check Green Diamond dot/gate status before you arrive, and carry a current ownership/access map (onX or the WDFW hunt-planner web map) because Willapa ownership is a checkerboard.
Nearest towns: Montesano, Oakville, Elma, Aberdeen, Raymond
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Washington sources:
Research sources: WDFW 2024 District 17 Hunting Prospects — GMU 660 access (Weyerhaeuser general permit, Green Diamond dot, DNR motorized limits), deer/elk/bear rankings, Willapa Hills elk herd north sub-herd ratios · WDFW 2018 District 17 Hunting Prospects (top bear producer context for GMU 660) · WDFW Game Management Units (GMU boundaries & maps)
FAQ
- How big is GMU 660 in Washington?
- GMU 660 (Minot Peak) covers about 302 square miles, ranging from roughly 100 to 2,900 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 660?
- Approximately 5% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: Weyerhaeuser, Green Diamond Resource, WDNR. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 660?
- Blacktail Deer, Black Bear, Roosevelt Elk, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Washington agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put GMU 660 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.